Herdier
Normal
Best attacking moveset: Sand Attack and Thunderbolt, worth 7.1 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Herdier can learn 9 combinations. Sand Attack with Thunderbolt does the most damage per second of them, at level 40 with a perfect attack stat. Same-type moves get the 1.2× bonus, and the cycle assumes the charged attack fires the moment it has the energy.
Stats and moves come straight from the game's own data files. Every number on this page is a raid and gym number, not a PvP one.
Type matchups
| Fast attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lick | Ghost | 5 | 0.5s | +6 |
| Sand Attack | Ground | 4 | 0.5s | +7 |
| Take Down | Normal | 7 | 1.0s | +8 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dig | Ground | 100 | 4.5s | -50 |
| Play Rough | Fairy | 90 | 3.0s | -50 |
| Thunderbolt | Electric | 80 | 2.5s | -50 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Herdier has been released. Players have found it from: wild, raid, research, evolution, photobomb.
Evolution family
Numbers
| Max CP | 1,789 at level 50, 1,583 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 904 CP at level 20, or 1,130 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 848 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 145 attack · 126 defense · 163 stamina |
What it costs
| Candy to evolve | 25 Candy |
|---|---|
| Second charged move | 10,000 Stardust and 25 Candy |
| Buddy distance | 1 km per Candy |
| Size | 0.9 m and 14.7 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Herdier does not have one best moveset, it has 5. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Fighting, Dragon, Dark.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Fighting | Sand Attack + Play Rough | 9.9 |
| Dragon | Sand Attack + Play Rough | 9.9 |
| Dark | Sand Attack + Play Rough | 9.9 |
| Water | Sand Attack + Thunderbolt | 9.8 |
| Poison | Sand Attack + Dig | 9.7 |
| Rock | Sand Attack + Dig | 9.7 |
| Steel | Sand Attack + Dig | 9.7 |
| Fire | Sand Attack + Dig | 9.7 |
| Electric | Sand Attack + Dig | 9.7 |
| Lick + Thunderbolt | 9.2 | |
| Ghost | Lick + Thunderbolt | 8.1 |
| Psychic | Lick + Thunderbolt | 8.1 |
| Normal | Sand Attack + Thunderbolt | 7.1 |
| Ice | Sand Attack + Thunderbolt | 7.1 |
| Fairy | Sand Attack + Thunderbolt | 7.1 |
| Ground | Sand Attack + Play Rough | 7.0 |
| Bug | Lick + Thunderbolt | 6.9 |
| Grass | Lick + Play Rough | 6.8 |
Same maths as the headline number, run once per defending type: level 40, perfect attack IV, and the target's own type taken into account. Sorted by damage, so the top of this table is what Herdier is actually for.
Counters: what beats Herdier
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Lucario | FightingSteel | Force Palm + Aura Sphere Legacy | 43.8 |
 Pheromosa | BugFighting | Low Kick + Focus Blast | 40.1 |
 Terrakion | RockFighting | Double Kick + Sacred Sword Legacy | 39.9 |
 Blaziken | FireFighting | Counter + Aura Sphere | 39.6 |
 Kartana | GrassSteel | Fury Cutter + Sacred Sword | 37.8 |
 Conkeldurr | Fighting | Force Palm + Focus Blast | 36.5 |
 Keldeo | WaterFighting | Low Kick + Sacred Sword | 36.1 |
 Breloom | GrassFighting | Force Palm + Dynamic Punch | 36.0 |
 Urshifu | Fighting | Counter + Dynamic Punch | 35.8 |
 Eternatus | PoisonDragon | Poison Jab + Dynamax Cannon Legacy | 35.5 |
Ranked by damage per second against Herdier's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.